Archive

  • Book details desperate flight from Nazis over the mountains

    A HEREFORDSHIRE woman has retraced the steps of her Norwegian father when he fled the Nazis and certain death more than 60 years ago. Ellie Targett (ne Smme), from Lucton, can hardly remember her father Sven Smme, who died in 1961, when she was very young

  • Book marks regiment's role in war

    IN the year that marks the 89th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, Peter Weston, a Great War enthusiast, has published the fruits of three years' research - an account of the part played by Herefordshire men in the main Allied attack on the Western

  • Family's secrets revealed in new book

    THE intimate lives of a Herefordshire gentry family are revealed in the pages of a new book Salt & Silk, in which the chronicles of the Aubreys of Clehonger are intepreted by D Meredith McFadden. Sometime in the 1540s, the Welsh-born Morgan Aubrey

  • Phil sets Merrily on the ghost trail

    MANY book lovers in the Marches will be familiar with the cases of the Rev Merrily Watkins, the heavy-smoking woman exorcist from Hereford. In Phil Rickman's latest novel, The Smile of a Ghost, she ventures into the northern end of the diocese and on

  • Battle voices

    LINKS between Hereford and the battle of Trafalgar are included in yet another book to mark the 200th anniversary of one of the shortest but best remembered of naval victories. The best type of reporting and history comes not from journalists or historians

  • Ann's on the right lines

    FORMER teacher Ann Ashley has brought the writings of distinguished Herefordian Alfred Watkins to life for a new generation. Her book, The Dodman Quest, explores Watkins' theory on ley lines through a detective story involving two young enthusiasts. David

  • Suzette's canine, crypt, cadaver, crime creation

    LEDBURY author Suzette Hill sees her debut novel published this week - a quirky crime fantasy set in 1950s Surrey. Suzette, who retired to Herefordshire five years ago, said although she had never had any desire to write a novel, the characters came into

  • Fiction by order of Ledbury readers

    AUTHOR David Nobbs has written his latest fiction to order. He will perform the first reading under a new scheme launched by the West Midlands Readers' Network, which encourages British authors to write and read stories for readers' groups. The Ledbury

  • Pope inspires 'right to die' campaigner

    A RETIRED Baptist minister who is campaigning for a right to die has praised the late Pope for "setting an example". The Rev Geoffrey Morris, of Leominster, is a member of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society who has battled against cancer and other illnesses

  • Tales of the unexpected

    FANS of Brian Viner's weekly column in The Independent will probably know that his first novel, Tales of the Country, was published this week. Brian and Jane decided to take the plunge and move their family from London's fashionable Crouch End to sleepy

  • Is the earth about to move for Orpheus?

    Bridge Sollars-based publishing company, Orpheus, is hoping to make it third time lucky, having again been short-listed for this year's Aventis Prizes for Science Books Junior Prize. The world's most prestigious awards for popular science writing selected

  • Open a new page

    SOMEWHAT in the shadow of its illustrious big brother in Hay-on-Wye, the second book festival in Blaenafon whirs into action next Tuesday. Featuring local writers Barbara Erskine, Phil Rickman, Jasper Fforde and Rebecca Tope, this year's programme offers

  • Masefield's set to be a Christmas hit on DVD

    ONE of Herefordshire's most famous sons looks set to be a Christmas best-seller - 37 years after his death. Ledbury-born John Masefield wrote the classic children's novel The Box of Delights in 1935 as a sequel to The Midnight Folk. The BBC made a memorable

  • Claim over chemical weapons in Hereford

    A NEW book says that illegal chemical weapons were made in Hereford. The claim that Britain broke the Geneva Protocol, which the country signed up to in 1925, by manufacturing gas weapons is set out in The History of Rotherwas Munitions Factory, Hereford

  • Tiffany's jewel of a novel hits shelves

    FORMER Hereford woman Tiffany Murray saw her first novel, Happy Accidents, hit the shelves this week. Crackling with the darkest of dark humour, brimming with crazy ancestors and closely guarded secrets, Happy Accidents is not a novel about pastoral and

  • Book evokes memories of 'Lost Railways'

    A NEW BOOK will evoke memories for older readers of a relaxed form of travelling before the advent of motorways. Herefordshire and Worcestershire's Lost Railways, may also encourage readers to make the acquaintance of the preserved lines in the area.

  • Chronicling the VC heroes

    VICTORIA Cross winners and their remarkable stories are the subject of a new book by Herefordshire's best-known ex-soldier, General Sir Peter de la Billiere. Sir Peter, who has himself been awarded the Military Cross and bar, was at Ross Books last weekend

  • Budding Motion?

    DO you regard yourself as a bit of a budding poet looking for the opportunity to see your work in print? If so then the UK's largest publisher of poetry is waiting to read your verse. Forward Press is in the final stages of preparing its latest series

  • Second edition

    HEREFORD writer James Clarke comes full circle this month, as his first book - The Pocket Essentials: Steven Spielberg - was published in its second edition format. The book, which includes some new material and an amended introduction, looks at Spielberg's

  • Eyeball to eyeball with bull elephant

    MAJOR Bruce Kinloch has stood eyeball to eyeball with bull elephants, forced to shoot them at point-blank range to save his life or to hide in jungles and swamps to escape their wrath. But he has never swerved in his fascination, love and respect for

  • Book your place for battle

    AS part of The Courtyard's Book Week, vociferous readers can take part in Battle of the Books, sponsored by the Hereford Times, on June 26. Three great books - Emma (Jane Austen), The Green Mile (Stephen King) and Charlotte Gray (Sebastian Faulks) - are

  • Choose books not gameboys!

    THE sixth annual children's book festival begins in Hereford today (Thursday). Hosted by Herefordshire Schools Library Service, events will take place at Hereford Town Hall, Ross, Leominster and Bromyard libraries, various schools and The Courtyard, Hereford

  • The Squad that gained promotion

    The successful Westfields side from last season is pictured here: (Back row, l-r) Sean Edwards (joint manager), Clive Harris (joint manager), Darren Lynch (player/coach), Richard Legdon, Scott Jackson, Alex Winstone, Matt Winstone, Jon Hill, Steve Higgins

  • Jon Pugh - Goalkeeper.

    26 years old, born in Hereford. Played for the Lads Club Hereford before moving to Pegasus Juniors at the age of 17 years. He later joined Westfields and after joining Knighton Town returned to Westfields in 2000. He assists the English Blind soccer team

  • A master stroke

    VICARS' wives frequently make an appearance in fiction - but one local vicar's wife has gone one better and written a novel herself. Pamela "Pixie" Mason, who is married to the Rev Ambrose Mason, vicar of St Nicholas Church, Grosmont, has recently published

  • Unique view from top photographer

    A UNIQUE collection of photographs celebrating all that makes Herefordshire what it is, has been published. Derek Evans, renowned as one of Britain's leading photo-journalists, was born in Herefordshire, the county that inspired the many memorable images

  • County castles in the spotlight

    HEREFORDSHIRE'S castles - past and present - are included in a newly published and lavishly illustrated comprehensive guide to the nation's fortresses. Castles, by the splendidly titled Plantagenet Somerset Fry, is the latest revision of a classic bestseller

  • In father's footsteps

    A HEREFORDSHIRE woman who retraced the route taken by her father 60 years earlier as he fled from Nazi occupied Norway following his arrest for spying tells the story in a new book. Another Man's Shoes, by Sven Somme, includes an introduction by his daughter

  • Book to celebrate organ's restoration

    Commemorating the restoration of Hereford Cathedral's historic Willis organ, a new edition of The Organists and Organs of Hereford Cathedral has been published. Cathedral organist Geraint Bowen, himself featured in the book, and co-editor Tim Symons,

  • Border passion

    OFFA'S Dyke is at the centre of a new work of fiction now available. Love on the Borders, the latest book from Dr Martin Bax, follows a young woman as she walks the length of the ancient earthwork tracing the border between England and Wales in honour

  • Shining example

    A BOOK celebrating the stained glass windows of stained glass artist-craftsman, A J Davies (1877-1953) - who created many windows in Herefordshire - contains 50 colour photographs illustrating the range of his work. Davies was educated in Birmingham and

  • Roy's village trek for Cobalt funds

    THE village, the pub and the church could be just the inspiration you need to start planning your spring trips to Herefordshire, Worcestershire and the North Cotswolds. Written by Roy Millar, The Village, the Church and the Pub is sold to benefit the

  • Bishops' views on rural issues

    RURAL bishops, including John Oliver, formerly Bishop of Hereford, are warning that the tangible and significant contribution that churchgoers make to the life of their communities is in danger of being lost. This message comes in a new book Changing

  • Fired up by book

    FOLLOWING a long period of ill health after the breakdown of his marriage, Bromyard shopkeeper Julian Sergeant has published a beautifully illustrated, limited edition children's book, aimed at six to 10-year-olds. Dragon Tears is the poignant story of

  • Hemmings last days

    FOR Herefordshire author Peter Burden, ghost-writing is a way of life. Being asked to ghost-write David Hemmings' autobiography, just months before the actor's death, was a cherry ripe for the picking. Holed up in Hemmings' country retreat, the two shared

  • A captivating bird's eye view of past and present

    A NEW book gives its readers a bird's eye view of some of Herefordshire's finest - and oldest - scenery. Herefordshire Past & Present - An Aerial View, by Ruth E Richardson and Chris Musson, takes a revealing look at the county's landscape, including

  • Captain lived a life of adventure to the full

    A CAPTAIN who lived a life of adventure on the ocean waves lies buried far from the sea in Leominster. Joseph Jackson survived shipwreck, hurricanes and spine-chilling brushes with icebergs. A member of the Leominster Moravian Church congregation, the

  • Humble veg is so wicked!

    THE sometimes wicked world of the vegetable is revealed this week in a new book by Herefordshire author Bill Laws. The humble vegetable, it seems, has sparked religious protests, helped win wars, threatened to topple one British Government and even gained

  • Taking a leaf out of great books

    THE Courtyard book week kicks off on Sunday with the Reduced Shakespeare Company's riotous new show, All The Great Books (Abridged). Combining literature and film, the week offers plenty of opportunity for the young and old to be involved. How to write

  • Jasper wins

    LOCAL author Jasper Fforde has won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize, the annual prize for comic fiction, with his third book, The Well of Lost Plots. "Previous winners have been either literary masterpieces of great humour - The Mighty Waltzer,

  • Market snap captures the skiving schoolboys

    SKIVING schoolboys helping out at market over 100 years ago have been captured forever as part of a unique publication of 'snapshot' photographs. The new publication, entitled Early Photographs of Radnor, illustrate the photographic talents of William

  • James tunes into the toon army

    ANIMATED films have always been popular - one of the biggest grossing films of last year was Finding Nemo - and Hereford-based writer James Clarke has devoted a whole book to the subject. His third anthology for Virgin Film, James's book investigates